Extensible lunch box



2,350,224 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. GIBERSON EXTENSIBLE LUNCH BOX Filed April 16, 1943 May 30, 1944.

Snnentor Gttorneg drank Gilurson May 30, 1944. F. GIBERSON 2,350,224

EXTENSIBLE LUNCH BOX Filed April'l6, 1943 2 sheets sheet 2 1 2 4 amnk GiGorsdn;

Patented May 30, 1944 UNITED STATES i rt iENT OFFICE EXTENSIBLE LUNCH BOX Frank Giberson, South 'Lyons, Mich.

Application April 16, 1943, Serial No. 483,323

12 Claims.

This invention relates to lunch boxes and particularly lunch boxes of variable size so as to assume a more compact form, when not in use.

It is the practice in many plants to inspect contents of lunch boxe before admitting game through the gates, and an object of the invention is to permit of such inspection without opening the boxes.

Another object is to provide the described sectional lunch box with a removable closure at one end of the upper section and utilize such closure for latching the extended lower section to the upper one.

Another object is to provide the upper section with fixed end walls and form one thereof with an opening for inserting or withdrawing a liquid container, and to utilize a removable closure for such opening to latch the extended lower section to the upper one.

Another object is to form both sections of the described box of plastic material and to provide reinforcing features particularly required by such material.

Another object is to provide a lunch box that is highly sanitary and afiords ready access to all its interior faces for cleaning.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the lunch box, as extended for maximum capaci-ty.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View showing a clasp used to latch an end closure to the upper section.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the box with the lower section nested in the upper one.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of an-end portion of the lower section.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of Fig. l to clarify the interlocking relation of the two sections.

In these views, the reference character I desig- I nates a sheet of transparent plastic material fashioned to an inverted U shape and thus formflange of the walld further extending across the 55 bottom opening of said member. The flanges 5 are fused, cemented, or otherwise rigidly secured and sealed to the member I. The end wall 3 is formed with a circular opening 6 proportioned to permit a vacuum bottle 7 or other beverage container, to be freely inserted in or withdrawn from the lunch box. Said bottle is engageable with'a pair of spaced annular supports 8, preferably metallic, secured to the'top of the member 1 by screws 9. Preferably these screws also serve to secure an arched handle !0 in a surniounting relation to the member I. A closure II for the opening 5 is formed of plastic sheet material and is marginally flanged as indicated at l2 to snugly embrace the flange 5 of the wall 3. The flange l2 further extends across the bottom opening of the member I similarly to the flange 5 of the end wall 4. As will presently appear, the closure H is bodily removable from the lunch box.

The lower section of the box is formed of transparent plastic sheet material and forms a rectangulanppen-topped container 13 adapted for complete removal from the upper section and proportioned to be nested fully withinthe upper section when not in use, as shown in-Figs. 3 and 4. When so nested, said container partially receives the vacuum bottle. The side walls ofv said container are rolled at their upper margins to tubular form as indicated at M and a rod l5, ,preferably of plastic material, is snugly engaged within the tubular margins, such rod being bent to form end portions extending across the container and slightly spaced above the end walls IQ of the latter. Thus said section is quite strongly reinforced and elongated slots arelormed between the cross portions of the rod Iii and the upper margins of the Walls '16. Said walls are preferably separately formed from and somewhat thicker than the integrally joined bottom and sides of the lower section and have a marginal flange l1 nugly embracing said bottom and sides and suitably secured and sealed thereto. The upper margins l8 of said end walls are bent inwardly at an upward inclination, terminally forming keepers I9 of an approximate U shape extending fully acrossthe lower section. These serve respectively to receive down-turned edge portions 28 of the flange 5 of the end wall 4 and of the flange l2 of closure H. The upward inclination of the margins l8 serves to guide said flanges 5 and I2 as these are entered between said margins and the end portions of the rod It.

When a lunch has been packed in the container formed by the lower section, and the beverage container '1 (if desired) has been inserted in the supports 8 through the opening 6, the two sections are rigidly interconnected as follows. First, the upper section is inclined, as indicated in dash lines in Fig. l, to permit the flange of the end wall 4 to be inserted between either end wall of the container l3 and the overlying end portion of the rod l5. The down-turned edge portion of said flange is thus brought directly above one of the keepers l9, and as the upper section is now swung down to its horizontal position, said edge portion enters said keeper and the side walls of the top section slightly overlap those of the lower section. The closure l l is now applied by inserting its flange I2 between the other end wall of the lower section and the overlying portion of the rod l5, the closure being tilted as shown in dash lines in Fig. 1 to permit such insertion. Upon now swinging the closure to a vertical position, it seats against the end wall 3 and its flange overlaps that of said end wall. Also the edge portion 20 of the closure enters the adjacent keeper IS. The closure is now latched in its described position by engaging a clasp 2 I, pivoted at 22 on the flange of the closure, with a knob 23 rigidly upstanding from the member I. aid clasp, as best appears in Fig. 2, is formed of a length of wire having aligned ends bent for insertion in the pivotal support 22 and having spaced parallel portions extending from said ends integrally interconnected by a V-shaped portion, which slips at its apex over the knob 23. In opening the box, when assembled as described, the clasp 2| is released permitting the closure to be swung about its lower edge, whereupon its flange l2 may be withdrawn from engagement with the lower section. The upper section, being thus released at one end from the lower section is tilted about its other end until the locking edge 20 at said end clears the corresponding keeper, allowing shifting of upper section to the left (Fig. l) and complete disengagement of the two sections. The lower section may now be disposed for convenience in eating, and its contents are very easily accessible. The vacuum bottle is, of course, readily accessible upon uncovering of the opening 6. In assembling the box for compact shipment, storage, or carrying when empty, the vacuum bottle (if one is required) is put in place and the lower section is then upwardly inserted in the upper section, being initially tilted slightly so that it may clear both the bottle and the lower flange portion of the end wall 4. Having disposed the lower section with one end resting on said lower flange portion, the closure H is applied, as has been described, its flange l2 supporting the other end of the lower section. In this assembly, the lower section has only slight endwise play within the upper one and hence neither end can escape from its support. Vertical play of the lower section is quite limited, when in its nested position, since it closely approaches the rounded top of the upper section.

As compared to lunch boxes now commonly used, the improved box by reason of its compact shipping form, is adapted to effect a desirable saving in quantity freight expense, and the same feature renders the box materially more convenient for carrying empty.

It will be noted that the interlocking assembly connection between the lower section and the end 4 of the upper section is in efiect ahinge afiording full disengagement of the two sections when in a certain angular relation, and that the same is true as regards the connection of the closure H to the lower section.

It may appear that provision of the flxed end 4 is superfluous in view of the closure II for said end. Such is not the case, however, as omission of either fixed end of the upper section would unduly weaken said section since the preferred material forming the member I is quite flexible.

By making the three relatively movable parts of the described box fully separable from one another, it is assured that full and free access may be had to such parts for cleaning purposes.

Among the various available sheet plastics suited for construction of the described box may be mentioned Fibestos.

When the lower section is nested within the upper one, it is evident that the closure ll cannot be held in place by interlocking with the lower inner face of the end wall 3 so that the closure may not escape when the clasp 2| has been secured.

In opening the box when its sections are in nested relation (see Fig. 3), the closure II is removed and the upper section is then swung up about its left-hand end. This swing movement causes the bottle 1 to seat on the left-hand wall of the lower section whereby the bottle is projected sufiiciently through the opening 6 to facilitate removal of the bottle.

In case any of the three separable parts of the described box becomes broken or damaged, replacement of such part may be had without necessity of discarding the entire box.

What I claim is:

1. A lunch box comprising a hollow, open-bottomed upper section having a removable closure at an end thereof, a lower section having the form of an open-topped container proportioned to be nested within the upper section, and means including said closure for retaining the lower section within the upper one and for alternatively supporting the lower section in a downwardly projecting relation to the upper one.

2. A lunch box comprising an open-bottomed upper section having fixed side and end walls and having an opening in one end wall for insertion of a beverage container, and having a closure for said opening removably applicable to said section, a lower section having the form of an open-topped container proportioned to be nested within the upper section, and means including said closure for retaining the lower section within the upper one and for alternatively supporting the lower section in a downwardly projecting relation to the upper one.

3. A lunch box comprising a hollow open-bottomed upper section having an opening at one end thereof for insertion and removal of a beverage container, an open-topped lower containerforming section proportioned to fit within the upper section, and means including a removable closure for said opening for supporting the top portion of the lower section upon the bottom portion of the upper section.

e. A lunch box as set forth in claim 3, said sections being completely separable, and said closure being completely separable from the sections.

5. A lunch box, comprising a hollow, openbottomed upper section having a removable closure at an end thereof, a container-forming, opent0pped lower section, proportioned to be nested substantially within the upper section, and having an alternative downwardly extended relation to the upper section, and coacting means on the lower section and closure for maintaining their assembly relation with the upper section when the lower section is in extended position.

6. A lunch box, comprising a hollow openbottomed upper section having end elements formed with flanges extending substantially across the bottom opening of said section, and a container-forming, open-topped lower section formed at its ends with slots to receive said flanges and derive support from the flanges for the lower section as it extends downwardly from the upper section, one of said elements being movable to engage its flange with or disengage it from the slot receiving such flange.

'7. A lunch box as set forth in claim 6, said flanges having downturned edges and the lower section having keepers receiving said edges and thereby restraining the two sections, when assembled, from relative endwise shifting.

8. A lunch box as set forth in claim 6, the lower section having side and end walls, and having a rod reinforcing the upper margins of the side walls, and said rod having end portions extending across the section and spaced above the end walls to form said slots.

9. A lunch box comprising a hollow openbottomed upper section having end walls, one of said walls having an opening for inserting a beverage container in and withdrawing it from the box, and the other of said walls having an inturned flange extending across the bottom opening of said section, a lower container-forming, open-topped section, proportioned to be nested within the upper section, said container having ends each formed with a slot elongated crosswise of the box, and a closure for the end wall opening of the upper section formed with an inturned flange at its lower margin, the two said flanges being engageable in said slots to support the lower section in a downwardly extending relation to the upper section, and the lower section being adapted to seat on said flanges when nested within the upper section, and means for latching said closure at its top to the upper section.

10. A lunch box comprising a hollow openbottomed upper section, a container-forming, open-topped lower section, proportioned to be nested substantially fully within the upper section, a connection between corresponding ends of the two sections for supporting the lower section in an extended relation to the upper one, such connection establishing a hinge axis transverse to said sections, and the sections being separable at such connection by separatively swinging them about said axis, and a detachable connection between the other ends of the sections for supporting the lower section in an extended relation to the upper one.

11. A lunch box comprising a hollow openbottonied upper section having end walls and an opening in one such wall for inserting a beverage container in and withdrawing it from the box, the other of said end walls having an inwardly projecting element, a lower, containerforming open-topped section proportioned to be nested within the upper section, and a closure for the end wall opening of the upper section, having an inwardly projecting element, means carried by the ends of the lower section engageable with said inwardly projecting elements to support the lower section in a downwardly extending relation to the upper section, said elements being further adapted to support the lower section when nested within the upper section, and means for latching the closure at its top to the upper section.

12. A lunch box comprising a hollow, openbottomed upper section having an opening at one end thereof, an open-topped containerforming lower section proportioned to be nested within the upper section, a removable closure for the open end of the upper section, means carried by the other end of the upper section for supporting the lower section either in its nested relation to the upper section or as a downward extension from the upper section, and a detachable hinge connection between the lower section and closure adapted to support the lower 7 section as a downward extension from the upper section and providing for a swinging of the 010- sure about the hinge axis of said connection for effecting removal of the closure.

FRANK GIBERSON. 

